HOMETOWN HEROES

Sampson enjoys impressive week

Published: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 12:17 a.m.

Following a rare relief appearance back on June 23, Keyvius Sampson has bounced back with his best two starts of the season for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. The right-hander fired seven innings of shutout baseball on June 26 to pick up his fifth win of the year, then followed it up with another seven-inning gem on Monday, allowing just two hits and one earned run in a hard-luck no-decision.
The former Forest High hurler surrendered just four hits over those 14 innings, while recording 22 strikeouts and walking just one batter. It was easily his most dominant stretch of what has been an up-and-down season for the fifth-year pro, who had walked 23 batters over his initial 52 1/3 innings before the recent resurgence.
Sampson, who moved his record to 5-4 for the Missions, dropped his ERA to 2.58 (second-best on the team) and boosted his strikeout total to a team-high 70 over 66 1/3 innings of work. Sampson's solid work over the second half of the season has helped push the Missions (6-6) into a first-place tie with Frisco in the Texas League South Division.
SHAWN SANDERS: The North Marion High graduate and current St. Johns River State College infielder is playing for the Lima (Ohio) Locos in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. Sanders has quickly carved out a role for himself, leading the Locos with 11 RBIs and pacing the GLSCL with a pair of triples. He's hitting .245 with a double, six runs scored and two stolen bases, and has added nine walks, pushing his on-base percentage to a healthy .362.
The former Colt was named to the All Mid-Florida Conference second team after hitting .286 with three doubles, 16 RBIs and 38 runs for the Vikings, who collected the conference title for the first time in more than 30 years. Sanders was also named to the all-state academic team and the conference all-academic team following a breakout freshman season.
ERIC GRABE: The Vanguard High product belted his first home run of the 2013 season last week for the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators. The third baseman followed that blast with five hits over his next 11 at-bats to push his season batting average to .252 over 31 games. The second-year pro ranks second on the team with three triples to go along three doubles, a dozen RBIs and 14 runs scored. Grabe also has a pair of stolen bases for the 6-6 Intimidators, who trail second-half leader West Virginia by two games in the South Atlantic Northern Division.
MARQUEZ SMITH: The former Forest High standout hit homers in back-to-back games for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos last week. It was the first two home runs at the Double-A level this year for Smith, who hit eight for Class A Advanced Bakersfield before being promoted in mid-June. The infielder has five doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs over 15 games with Pensacola while hitting just .182. The 7-6 Wahoos currently trail second-half leader Jacksonville by one game in the Southern League South Division standings.
NATE SAMSON: The Forest High graduate is hitting .215 with a homer, five doubles and 13 RBIs for the Winnipeg Goldeyes. The infielder also has a stolen base and 11 runs scored for the Independent League squad based in Canada. Winnipeg (21-20), the defending American Association champions, are currently three games back of Fargo-Moorhead in the North Division.
-----Submit Hometown Heroes information to Byron Saucer at byron.saucer@starbanner.com.

Following a rare relief appearance back on June 23, Keyvius Sampson has bounced back with his best two starts of the season for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. The right-hander fired seven innings of shutout baseball on June 26 to pick up his fifth win of the year, then followed it up with another seven-inning gem on Monday, allowing just two hits and one earned run in a hard-luck no-decision.
The former Forest High hurler surrendered just four hits over those 14 innings, while recording 22 strikeouts and walking just one batter. It was easily his most dominant stretch of what has been an up-and-down season for the fifth-year pro, who had walked 23 batters over his initial 52 1/3 innings before the recent resurgence.
Sampson, who moved his record to 5-4 for the Missions, dropped his ERA to 2.58 (second-best on the team) and boosted his strikeout total to a team-high 70 over 66 1/3 innings of work. Sampson's solid work over the second half of the season has helped push the Missions (6-6) into a first-place tie with Frisco in the Texas League South Division.
<b>SHAWN SANDERS: </b>The North Marion High graduate and current St. Johns River State College infielder is playing for the Lima (Ohio) Locos in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. Sanders has quickly carved out a role for himself, leading the Locos with 11 RBIs and pacing the GLSCL with a pair of triples. He's hitting .245 with a double, six runs scored and two stolen bases, and has added nine walks, pushing his on-base percentage to a healthy .362.
The former Colt was named to the All Mid-Florida Conference second team after hitting .286 with three doubles, 16 RBIs and 38 runs for the Vikings, who collected the conference title for the first time in more than 30 years. Sanders was also named to the all-state academic team and the conference all-academic team following a breakout freshman season.
<b>ERIC GRABE: </b>The Vanguard High product belted his first home run of the 2013 season last week for the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators. The third baseman followed that blast with five hits over his next 11 at-bats to push his season batting average to .252 over 31 games. The second-year pro ranks second on the team with three triples to go along three doubles, a dozen RBIs and 14 runs scored. Grabe also has a pair of stolen bases for the 6-6 Intimidators, who trail second-half leader West Virginia by two games in the South Atlantic Northern Division.
<b>MARQUEZ SMITH: </b>The former Forest High standout hit homers in back-to-back games for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos last week. It was the first two home runs at the Double-A level this year for Smith, who hit eight for Class A Advanced Bakersfield before being promoted in mid-June. The infielder has five doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs over 15 games with Pensacola while hitting just .182. The 7-6 Wahoos currently trail second-half leader Jacksonville by one game in the Southern League South Division standings.
<b>NATE SAMSON: </b>The Forest High graduate is hitting .215 with a homer, five doubles and 13 RBIs for the Winnipeg Goldeyes. The infielder also has a stolen base and 11 runs scored for the Independent League squad based in Canada. Winnipeg (21-20), the defending American Association champions, are currently three games back of Fargo-Moorhead in the North Division.
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<i>Submit Hometown Heroes information to Byron Saucer at byron.saucer@starbanner.com.</i>